SSP is pleased to share the findings from our 2026 membership survey, providing valuable insights into member engagement and preferences. We encourage interested parties to read this report alongside our 2024 results, featured on The Scholarly Kitchen, for a more comprehensive comparison.
Please note that we want to emphasize two key disclaimers regarding the survey results. The first of these disclaimers is that we had 118 respondents (11%) compared to 2024’s 222 respondents (18%). With such a notable decrease in the response rate, double-digit swings in sentiment and demographics become possible; knowledge gaps can be overrepresented; biases in a smaller group can significantly skew the results of a survey of this nature; and diversity issues may be exaggerated (or understated).
That said, the survey indicates a strong consensus among respondents regarding the value of SSP’s core offerings, specifically The Scholarly Kitchen and the Annual Meeting, both of which are recognized as essential and engaging resources. However, other SSP initiatives, including CoIN groups, the SSP Engage app, the Fellowship Program, OnDemand Library, and the EPIC Awards, received lower ratings for both value and accessibility.
Notably, while respondents regularly engage with SSP emails and The Scholarly Kitchen alerts, interactions through social media and app-based platforms remain limited. In all of these areas, there’s a consistently high percentage of “Do not use/prefer not to answer” and “not aware of” responses, which might also suggest selective engagement: participating solely in the activities that drew them to SSP.
This is where we’ll bring up the second of those two disclaimers–45% of respondents indicated they had only been members of SSP for 1–5 years, suggesting a potential knowledge gap among newer members concerning the availability of specialized resources, while core offerings like TSK and the Annual Meeting see high engagement. As these respondents continue their involvement, their interests may broaden, potentially enhancing engagement with SSP’s full suite of offerings, especially as the organization undertakes a website redesign to improve access.
The survey results illuminate areas for us to focus on moving forward. Respondents expressed a strong interest in expanded industry intelligence reports (62%), increased regional events (46%), and enhanced training programs (46%). Additionally, there is significant potential for collaboration between SSP and member organizations, as 81% of respondents expressed interest in partnering with SSP on internship initiatives, even though only 10% currently have internal internship programs within their organizations.
Furthermore, there is an opportunity for SSP to strengthen its support for mid-career and executive-level professionals. While 68% of respondents feel that SSP adequately supports early-career professionals, only 48% share this sentiment regarding support for mid-career and executive-level professionals. Respondents also highlighted the importance of volunteering, diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA), professional development, and networking as vital areas for SSP to maintain and enhance.
As we reflect on the response rate, it is clear that there is room for improvement in outreach and marketing efforts to engage a broader spectrum of voices within our community. As volunteers and participants of something so communal, ensuring our voices are heard, and the trends we wish reflected should be as much our responsibility as those organizing the survey, lest the response rate be so low as to make the survey too unreliable a way to enact meaningful change. The more we respond as a group, the more accurate the results and the clearer the action items become for SSP to change in ways that support the scholarly publishing community. For further information, please contact Madelyn Stone, SSP Membership Administrator.
Survey results analyzed and news item written by SSP’s Membership Committee.
